Cardinal: we shouldn’t be gloomy about Brexit

We must not be “prophets of gloom” over Brexit, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor has said.

Writing in this week’s Catholic Herald, the former Archbishop of Westminster compares Brexit to the “seismic event” of the Second Vatican Council.

“We have just detonated another kind of seismic event in the history of our country,” he writes.

“Leaving the EU is a huge step in our history and, like General Councils of the Church, the consequences will take many years to unravel. But, as Pope John said to the assembled bishops in 1962, we must not be prophets of gloom,” he writes.

Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor, who had argued for remaining in the European Union, says “we have now an opportunity, and an obligation to address the result of the referendum, not as partisans of Leave or Remain but as citizens of a great democratic exercise which stands for certain principles and values”.

He quotes the Book of Proverbs, which says “without vision the people perish”, and continues: “Without a positive vision not only for Britain apart from the European Union but also of a Britain still close to Europe, all Europeans will be diminished and less able to contribute to that stability and peace we all desire.”

In an article for the Spectator in May the cardinal said he wanted Britain to be “part of the European community and cooperate … to build a union that is greater than the sum of its parts.”

He said that the EU needed “reform and renewal” but that Brexit would make this “even more difficult”.

Cardinal Vincent Nichols had also signalled his support for Britain staying in the EU. He said last month: “Our main concern will be to continue to keep an eye on and [give] practical help for the poorest, whose circumstances will probably worsen in the next two or three years.”

Cardinal: we shouldn’t be gloomy about Brexit

We must not be “prophets of gloom” over Brexit, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor has said.

Writing in this week’s Catholic Herald, the former Archbishop of Westminster compares Brexit to the “seismic event” of the Second Vatican Council.

“We have just detonated another kind of seismic event in the history of our country,” he writes.

“Leaving the EU is a huge step in our history and, like General Councils of the Church, the consequences will take many years to unravel. But, as Pope John said to the assembled bishops in 1962, we must not be prophets of gloom,” he writes.

Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor, who had argued for remaining in the European Union, says “we have now an opportunity, and an obligation to address the result of the referendum, not as partisans of Leave or Remain but as citizens of a great democratic exercise which stands for certain principles and values”.

He quotes the Book of Proverbs, which says “without vision the people perish”, and continues: “Without a positive vision not only for Britain apart from the European Union but also of a Britain still close to Europe, all Europeans will be diminished and less able to contribute to that stability and peace we all desire.”

In an article for the Spectator in May the cardinal said he wanted Britain to be “part of the European community and cooperate … to build a union that is greater than the sum of its parts.”

He said that the EU needed “reform and renewal” but that Brexit would make this “even more difficult”.

Cardinal Vincent Nichols had also signalled his support for Britain staying in the EU. he said last month: “Our main concern will be to continue to keep an eye on and [give] practical help for the poorest, whose circumstances will probably worsen in the next two or three years.”

Diocese plans eight new Catholic schools

The Diocese of East Anglia has said that it hopes to open eight new schools to counter a shortage of school spaces for Catholic pupils.

But its plans will only go ahead if the Government lifts its cap on the proportion of pupils that free schools can select on the grounds of faith. The cap has so far stopped the Catholic Church opening any free schools.

The Government announced that it would lift the 50 per cent cap in September. A consultation period ended last week.

The diocese said the new schools would be located in areas where there is a great need due to demographic changes that have taken place in the past decade.

In Cambridgeshire, the diocese plans to set up a primary school in the West Cambourne area, another in Cherry Hinton village, on the outskirts of Cambridge, and a third in Peterborough.

In Norfolk a new primary school is planned in the market town of Thetford along with two primary schools and a sixth form in Norwich.

The Sacred Heart convent school in Swaffham is also considering plans for a new free school.

Paul Barber, director of the Catholic Education Service, said: “This is fantastic news from the Diocese of East Anglia and we warmly welcome their announcement. Up and down the country we are seeing pockets of high demand for Catholic education and if the cap is lifted we will be able to answer that call. Catholic schools are the most ethnically diverse in the country and consistently outperform the national average when it comes to KS2 and KS4 results. We are excited at this opportunity to give more children an outstanding Catholic education.”

Helen Bates, assistant director of the schools commission for the diocese, said officials were “really looking forward to opening new schools which are desperately needed to meet the demand we already have here in East Anglia”.

“For the Catholic Church, the cap has meant it has been unable to open any new Catholic schools in case it results in Catholic children being turned away from a Catholic school. In East Anglia we have some of the most severe shortages of places, which is why we want to bid for so many new schools,” she added.

Brian Conway, chief executive officer of the St John the Baptist Catholic Multi-Academy Trust, which currently covers six primaries and a high school in Norfolk and north Suffolk, said “the possibility of new Catholic schools is hugely exciting”.

“Catholic schools have a long history of providing a successful education to widely diverse pupil populations. For example, our current primary school in Norwich, St Francis of Assisi, has more than 40 per cent of its pupils whose first language is not English.”

“We also have a real need for Catholic primary school places in north Norwich and this is growing as large housing developments in places like Sprowston and Rackheath are planned.

“A school in north Norwich could serve a Catholic need from this housing as well as an existing need across north Norfolk where there are no Catholic schools.”

Archbishop lobbies for jobless

Archbishop Philip Tartaglia has expressed concern at a proposal to close half of Glasgow’s job centres.

The Department for Work and Pensions has said it intends to close eight of the 16 job centres in the city.

The archbishop said: “Closing offices in some of the most deprived areas of the city risks reducing access to support for those who need it most.”

Scottish government minister Jamie Hepburn has written to the department to ask for clarity.